Oklahoma’s Totem Pole Park is the work of local artisan Ed Galloway who created the attraction on his own across a number of decades. After leaving his job as an art teacher, Galloway began construction on his personal park in 1938. His main goal was to create a series of totem poles using sturdier building materials that were not readily available to the original American Indian artisans. Using concrete, rebar, and steel reinforcement, he created a number of colorful tapered totems on his land surrounding what is known as the “Fiddle House,” which was modeled after a hendecagonal Navajo hogan, and which was itself supported by a series of cement totems.

The grandest creation in the park, however, is the main totem which took Galloway eleven years to finish and now would seem to hold the record for largest concrete totem pole in the world. The massive tower stands around 90 feet tall, and is completely covered in bright reliefs of animals and characters in a traditional American Indian style. The entire stack of looming faces and squashed beasts was made to sit on the back of a giant concrete turtle who looks a bit crushed by the weight of the world.

Galloway passed away in 1962, working until his dying day on the park. Unfortunately after his passing, the site fell into disrepair for decades until a conservation group formed to rehabilitate the animalistic works. However strange it may have seemed at the time, Galloway’s mission to build a better totem pole apparently worked as the immovable stone spires continue to look nearly as good as the day they were sculpted.

Sign up for our newsletter and get the best of Atlas Obscura in your inbox.

Stay in Touch!

No purchase necessary. Winner will be selected at random on 03/01/2018. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Offer subject to change without notice. See contest rules for full details.

Add Some Wonder to Your Inbox

Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you.